Overview

General

Thank you for considering Building Control Partnership Ltd (BCP) to carry out the statutory Building Control function for a project. We are Chartered Building Engineers, Corporate Approved Inspectors and an accredited and approved QMS : ISO : 9001 : 2015 company, which is an independently audited standard of quality management and service.

The Service Level we provide can be categorised broadly into one of the following three descriptions. We usually attempt to establish this level with you at Quotation so as to be able to properly assess the projects performance standard and from this an appropriate fee proposal and structure. Therefore, it is in your and our interest to have substantive project information supplied at the Quotation stage to prevent re-classification, at a later stage, with possible, additional fees and time frame:

Major Projects

These require experienced and qualified appraisal at every stage. Plan Assessment, Statutory Consultation and Site Control. They are generically, categorised as buildings with sleeping accommodation with a worse case ground level to highest floor level of either 11M or 18M.

Other lower rise buildings may also be included where they have a special use defined in the amendment to the Regulations. In these types of project it is likely a Client Side Fire Engineer will be required to be appointed by the Client, also a Structural Engineer and other specialists to provide expert submissions to support each of these elements.

Fire Authorities are advising they are under extreme pressure and will require a full and proper fire plan and fire strategy before registering a consultation, response times on registered consultations can run into months. The Client Side must allow sufficient time for these delays and make themselves aware of the current climate with their local Fire Authority.

Large Projects

These have the potential to be complex and will need the correct professional Service Level to assist in your compliance. Excluding the other two categories all other development types would fall into this category. Much of what is said for Major Project applies here also.

Domestic Projects

This includes such as private single household dwellings or an of estate of such as new-builds or conversions, but does not include flats, apartments or Houses in Multiple Occupation (HIMO). It does includes Domestic Extensions, Loft Conversions, Conservatories and Alterations, but again they must be in connection with private single household dwelling of four stories or less, there must be no commercial connected use, such as accommodation over a shop or office and the like. Domestic Projects are handled by our dedicated professional department.

Documents and Initial Information

We will normally provide you, at or around our Engagement, with a combination of the following:

A Registration Form and Declaration, Part 1, requiring authorisation and signature.
If required a Registration Form, Part 2, requiring more specific information.
An Engagement Letter, confirming our provisional fee proposal and service level.
A copy of the Initial Notice and documents issued to date on your behalf.
A provisional Site Inspection Regime (SIR), which will be revised as we know more about the project:

A provisional SIR is provided in the following table, it requires the responsible client side person to Notify us before the period indicated for the relevant stage of work, if applicable. We will not inspect all levels of work but we must still be Notified. The SIR is intended to be refined as the Inspector becomes more familiar with the design and features of your project, such as structural details requiring calculations, trees, sewers and the like.

A non-transferable Pro-Forma Invoice for payment within terms or we may cancel this Registration.
BCP’s Terms and Conditions of business, which must be accepted and can not be varied.
A GDPR use, storage and transmission of personal data agreement, if you are a defined data subject.
For minor work, where it is proposed to not provide plans, an advisory risk assessment you must accept. We also reserve the right not to accept a No-Plans or Building Notice type submission, we will then require a Full Plans re-submission with details or we may cancel this Registration at ant time.
For anything which is NOT a private dwelling house, of less than four stories, with a one family occupancy or extensions and or alterations to such a use, then a statutory consultation with the Fire Authority will be obligatory at various stages. In general, Full Plans will be a prerequisite with the addition of a Fire Plan and Fire Strategy document from your professional. Without these, to an appropriate standard, we will hold your application pending for a short period of time. There will be no progression of the application and all time scales are stopped. Once your Fire Submission is received and validated as being of the required standard, we will then carry out our Initial Fire Assessment (IFA) which may take up to five weeks to complete, we may also discuss revisions with you, thereby extending this time period. When we agree compliance and not before, we will then submit the IFA and your Fire Submission to the local Fire Authority as a formal consultation. Dependent upon the local Fire Authority their response times can be weeks or months, we have no control over the response time of each independent Fire Authority. It can be frustrating waiting for such responses, but please do not contact ourselves or our Inspectors as we have no influence in this connection, if you wish to attempt to intervene, you should do this directly with your local Fire Authority, listed on the web. Without the Fire Authorities Report (FAR) you are at risk of revision and will be progressing at your own liability. You must NOT occupy any part of a building without a Final Certificate from ourselves, which is dependent on receiving the Fire Authorities Report.

If we are told by a lead person or others nominated, such as a duly authorised Agent or Contractor, that you wish to use our services and also that you are the property owner, you will be then defined as and the person having the work carried out. If there are other stakeholders involved in the properties ownership, such as in a business, marriage or partnership a wife, husband or other person, then you, the Applicant or Agent will be undertaking, in signing the Registration Form on their behalf, that those stakeholders have the knowledge of this agreement and agree that it is binding on them as to this Registration, the Terms and Conditions and Contract including all associated documents listed previously.

Also this will include providing a GDPR data authority, under signature, digital or otherwise, that you and or they, have the same level of authorisation from all stockholders

Engagement

The client, being the property owner, usually engages the Approved Inspector directly but may leave this to a nominated Agent or Contractor or other similar professional.

The arrangements you make with those who you nominate to deal with matters for you does not affect your Terms and Conditions with BCP nor your obligations under the Regulations, you are always directly responsible to BCP and to the Approved Inspector for compliance and payments.

In anything other than a direct Client appointment there is a possibility that we receive instructions without there being a clear understanding by the Client as to who we are or what we do or indeed that we have been engaged. Therefore, you will be required to confirm the acceptance of our engagement, our Terms and Conditions and Contractural Arrangements as laid out in our Letter of Engagement (LOE), other documents and on our website as known, understood and agreed to by all property owners.

The Party Wall Act

We are not responsible for The Party Wall Act, this is relevant when construction interferes with the structure between neighbouring properties. We suggest if you feel you are effected you will find the Act on the web with significant guidance.

Q&A

Q: If the contractor or others asks me to pay them directly the fee for Building Control Services as either part of an all inclusive package or for convenience, what happens if they do not pay my fee to BCP.

A: You are always liable to us for payment, if you do this and the contractor disappears with your money this will be your loss and unfortunately you may end up paying twice as you will have to pay our fee again. Do not pay anyone other than our finance department at the address at the end of this document, this includes anyone representing us, our staff, consultants or inspectors. All cheques and payments should be made out to Building Control Partnership Ltd only, if not and you do not have an authorised receipt from our finance department you will remain liable for the debt.